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"We don't want it to come to that point, but if there's no other choice... you still have time to think it over. Let's discuss this matter again after we capture Moltres."
Archer seemed to understand that getting the answer he wanted wouldn't be easy, but they had other pressing tasks at hand. For Team Rocket, their most important mission right now was capturing the legendary Fire-type Pokemon, Moltres.
After delivering his message, Ash remained silent and ignored him completely. Archer simply smiled coldly before exiting the cell, and the heavy metal door slammed shut with a resounding clang.
Outside the cell door, two Team Rocket grunts stood guard, their black uniforms bearing the distinctive red "R" symbol. Archer wasn't alone - three high-ranking Team Rocket executives had gathered together for this important operation.
"I really don't understand why we're wasting so much time on this kid. He's just some brat from Pallet Town. Why don't we just get rid of him and be done with it?"
Unlike Archer's cold demeanor that he kept hidden beneath the surface, Proton's ruthless nature was displayed openly for all to see. In his opinion, there was absolutely no reason to keep Ash locked up and alive.
For Proton, anyone or anything that interfered with their missions deserved to be eliminated without hesitation. He believed in swift, decisive action to ensure mission success, no matter the cost.
"Don't be so hasty, Proton. This boy possesses some kind of strange power - a power that might prove useful to our organization. And there's something else that intrigues me... this kid seems to know far too much about our operations. I'm very curious about what might be backing him up!"
Archer spoke with a faint smile playing across his lips. When Ash had encountered the three executives, he had immediately recognized their identities upon first meeting them. This detail troubled Archer greatly.
This observation made Archer reluctant to act rashly against the young trainer. Why would a ten-year-old Pokemon trainer from a small town know so much about Team Rocket's inner workings and leadership structure? This was definitely something worth investigating further.
Of course, what concerned him even more was the special power Ash had demonstrated during their previous encounter. If Team Rocket could somehow harness and master this mysterious ability, perhaps their organization's overall strength could be dramatically improved.
"The boss has specifically requested to meet this boy in person!" Ariana added with a sinister smile spreading across her face, her voice carrying an ominous tone.
"Hmph! Fine, do whatever you want, as long as it doesn't interfere with our primary mission!"
After hearing Ariana's statement, Proton said nothing more. He snorted in displeasure, shrugged his shoulders dismissively, then turned on his heel and walked away down the metallic corridor.
The three remaining executives didn't continue their discussion. Archer instructed the guards to keep a close watch on Ash at all times, then departed with Ariana and the other executive.
Meanwhile, inside the cramped cell, Ash had no intention of sitting around waiting helplessly for whatever fate Team Rocket had planned for him. However, without his Pokemon partners by his side, he couldn't figure out how to escape from this high-tech prison.
He wondered anxiously what had happened to Pikachu and his other Pokemon. Ash still remembered the chaotic situation during the capture. Pidgeotto hadn't been caught by Team Rocket and was likely still free. Cinnabar Island wasn't exactly close to Neon Town, but it wasn't impossibly far either.
Pikachu and his other Pokemon were somewhere on this same airship, relatively close to his current location. However, Ash was certain that Pikachu and the others couldn't escape on their own in their current situation.
Ash thought that if he could tap into his mysterious power, he might be able to sense Pidgeotto's location. Maybe, just maybe, Pidgeotto could sense his position in return and find a way to help him.
Although the distance was considerable, there was no other option available to him right now except to give this desperate plan his best effort.
"Huh!" Ash exhaled deeply, then lay down on the small cot and closed his eyes, trying to center himself.
He concentrated intensely on sensing the power that flowed within his body. In the darkness behind his closed eyelids, he seemed to see a faint red light beginning to glow. He felt like he could sense his immediate surroundings, as if he could see clearly even in complete darkness.
Beyond the iron door in front of his cell, there were two golden light sources. Ash raised his hands slightly, and although his eyes remained closed, he could clearly observe in the darkness that his own hands were emanating a golden aura.
Ash was confident that the golden aura represented human life energy. He quickly attempted to expand this power outward. Soon, more golden masses of light appeared in the darkness - these were obviously other Team Rocket members throughout the spacecraft.
This mysterious force gradually expanded further, penetrating through each room and corridor of the airship. After several minutes of intense concentration, Ash sensed something different and lifted his head slightly, his eyes still tightly closed.
He detected several red masses of light in the darkness surrounding him. These energy signatures were very familiar to him - they belonged to his own Pokemon team. From the condition and strength of these auras, he could sense that they were all safe and unharmed.
If their situation had been dire, the light masses' aura would have appeared much weaker and dimmer. Ash felt a wave of relief wash over him after confirming that his Pokemon were okay, but he was careful not to alert them to his presence.
Since everyone was safe for now, he could feel more at ease. However, there were still several golden auras nearby, indicating that Team Rocket guards were watching over his Pokemon. It would be disastrous if his psychic probing disturbed them and exposed his abilities.
Therefore, Ash chose not to use his power to connect directly with his Pokemon partners. Instead, he continued expanding his mysterious abilities outward beyond the confines of the airship. In the vast darkness of his mind, he could clearly sense the open sky above and the endless ocean below.
Then he began detecting blue auras emerging from the natural environment around them. These represented wild Pokemon living freely in nature. They appeared blue in his perception because they had no emotional bond or connection with him personally.
Above the vast expanse of ocean, Ash felt like he could actually hear the rhythmic sound of waves crashing against each other. However, soon this extended consciousness began to withdraw back toward him.
"Hoo ho ho!"
Back in the physical world of his cell, Ash suddenly opened his eyes and breathed heavily. Several drops of sweat had formed on his forehead, which he wiped away with the back of his hand. In the end, he had been unable to sense any position far enough across the ocean to reach Cinnabar Island.
Actually, this psychic reach had exceeded all his previous attempts at using this power, but it seemed the distance was still too great to bridge. However, Ash refused to give up hope. After resting for a while and regaining his mental strength, he decided to try the technique again.
Each time he attempted this sensing method, his range increased slightly, but he still couldn't detect Pidgeotto's presence. The goal was simple: find one specific red aura among all the countless life forces in the area.
But the Team Rocket airship continued flying farther away from Cinnabar Island with each passing moment, meaning the distance would only continue growing. Nevertheless, this psychic sensing was currently his only viable option for escape.
Neon Town
At that same time in Neon Town, Brock and Misty had contacted the police authorities and then met up with Gary Oak. After the police learned about the situation, Officer Jenny arrived on the scene and made the decision to investigate the battle site personally.
When Gary arrived at the location, he examined the destruction spread across the area. Looking at the devastated landscape before him, it wasn't difficult to determine that an intense Pokemon battle had taken place here. Gary knew immediately that Ash must have encountered an extremely dangerous opponent.
When the group returned to search the area more thoroughly, Misty remained deeply worried because she had witnessed Ash being taken away by Team Rocket. While everyone felt discouraged by the grim situation, Misty discovered something that made her heart sink further.
She found a dusty red and white baseball cap lying on the ground not far from the main battle site. The hat had fallen beside a tree that had been broken in half during the conflict.
Misty recognized it instantly as Ash's signature hat - the one he wore everywhere during his Pokemon journey. She hurried forward quickly, picked up the hat with trembling hands, and held it tightly against her chest. She silently prayed that Ash was safe and unharmed wherever Team Rocket had taken him.
As for the official investigation being conducted by Officer Jenny and her team, they weren't able to gather much useful information from the scene. The battle had been too chaotic and destructive to leave clear evidence of exactly what had transpired or where the attackers might have gone.